WALKING WITH THE WAODANI — PART 4 — LIFE LESSONS

WALKING WITH THE WAODANI — PART 4 — LIFE LESSONS

What About Socialization?

(This is part 4 — life lessons — in our Walking with the Waodani series. Click here to start the series at the beginning.)

We hear it so often that it's become cliché. But I suppose, if you don't homeschool, there's no way to know how many “social” opportunities are available to homeschoolers.

Co-op classes in every subject

speech and debate tournaments

math clubs

field trips

theater groups

sports teams

In fact, there are so many options that it can be unbelievable hard to say no to “social” opportunities so families can devote time to studying together at home.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

In our previous Homeschooler Adventurer post, Russell Winter told the story of joining a Waodani family on their Sunday excursion. (They went poison fishing.) Here we focus on an interesting aspect of socialization uniquely available to homeschoolers.

When you're not trapped by the limitations inherent in a traditional school setting, you can access opportunities that can give you distinct advantages in life.

As a homeschooler, Russell had the time and flexibility to build lasting relationships with people outside his peer group, like his friend Gary.

In the image below, Russell and Gary are shown visiting one of many historical sites in Quito, the capital of Ecuador and the last geographical location featured in the Walking with the Waodanistudy.

A WORD TO THE WISE

Russell built several intergenerational friendships as he was growing up. In the clip below, he talks about the way those friendships have blessed him. He also shares has wise words for young people.

(Pardon the low resolution in the video. As explained in the previous post, we never intended to publish our interview with Russell. But he is such a great storyteller that we decided to let him tell his stories rather than write them.)